For some, perhaps your brother or sister told you -bert was the funniest way to end a name.

For others, it could be they couldn’t pronounce your name and it came out “Toe” or “Na-kin” or “San-raw”. Such is the case for Elbert L. Woods. His younger brother called him “E-E” and the name Ickey stuck.

Imagine the high jinks young Mr. Woods endured on the playground during recess.

Adversity brings opportunity.

He received a scholarship from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. During his senior year, he lead the school with 1,658 yards rushing. The total remains the second-most in UNLV history. To this day, he still holds the school’s record in single game rushing attempts with 37 in two different games. Go Rebels!

Or more recently the GEICO commercial, which featured Mr. Woods at the deli counter.

Or if there are any Cincinnati Bengals fans in the house—Ickey played his entire NFL career for Cincinnati—Jeremy Hill reprised it after scoring a touchdown against Carolina in October 2014.

Football is still in his blood. Ickey is the longtime coach and owner of the Women’s Football Alliance team (full contact), Cincinnati Sizzle. I’ll bet we can fry up an egg or two with the heat they create.

With the passing of his son, Jovante, at home from asthma at the tender age of 16, he created the Jovante Woods Foundation. The foundation provides funding and education for asthma research and organ donor education.

Well BoFN fans, while you rush into the holiday fray, and celebrate the holiday spirit, please take a moment and join me in a cup of cheer.

Perhaps we could all face Cincinnati real sudden-like, toss down our peppermint cocoa, and perform a little Ickey Shuffle—minus the spike if your using the good dishes. If not, don’t forget to say “Opa”!

Now if you’ll excuse me, Mr. Cranium brought home some mistletoe. And I’m dying to test it out. 😉

32 Responses to Elbert L. “Ickey” Woods

love the deli commercial!!! Great story–knew none of it, which maybe means I am living under a rock? But who needs contemporary society when you can just read BoFN instead? Great name and great reporting, Fannie. Hope your mistletoe testing was wildly successful. you’re funny.

I love the Ickey shuffle!!!! It’s my second-favorite pro football “shuffle” next to the 1985 Bears’ Super Bowl Shuffle! Did not know the whole story of Ickey Woods, though… I love learning new things on the BoFN!

I have too many things to say. First, I just got back from the sto’, where I bought peppermint mocha creamer for the first time this year, so jinx. AND I’m eating an everything bagel on my fancy Christmas poinsettia china, so double jinx. However, I did NOT do that Ickey shuffle at the deli counter. His lovely GEICO rendition looks nothing like Waltrip’s, who appears to be shaking out a taco fart.

And as for the -bert, I think we can all agree that ENGEL-bert would be traumatic if one had not saddled oneself with said pretend name later in life. My ex had an uncle named Norbert and my forever husband had an uncle named Delbert, so you can imagine it’s hard for me to keep those names straight. I can’t imagine any -bert name would be a good name over which to swoon, as Amb would say. I would never deign to kiss a Hubert. Is that too long of a title for an autobiography? I Would Never Deign To Kiss A Hubert: the Kerbey story. Or is that how all women feel?

My forever buddy Mike that I’ve been friends with since we met in the eighth grade — if Kerbey can have a forever husband I can have a forever buddy dagnabbit — had a younger brother whom everybody called Eggbert when we were growing up. And he was a twin. Alas, his real name was Tom and his twin’s name was Joe and Joe did not get any sort of -bert nickname. Two dagnabbits in one comment for me!

Thank your for making BoFN Ickey, Fannie. Mr. Woods is a winner. Dude could run with the football, and that’s why the Ickey Shuffle became a Nationwide thing. Which makes it curious that he’s now dancing for Geico, no? I didn’t know about his son passing and the resulting Foundation, or that he owns a women’s pro football squad. Good work on the research, Fannie, showing the world that Ickey’s more than a hilarious TV spot.

Wait… I just noticed something…. you said something about a sibling saying that -bert was the best way to end a name. I always tell my brother Robert that. Was that a ridiculously awesome reference to something Rob and I told you in the past?!?!